I think the best part of our tree adventures is the searching for them. This time around we knew that this giant oak was in the vicinity of the Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport, close enough that it had to be protected during the relocation of a nearby highway. So we drove in and around the airport and then started circling wider. We joked about the funny ways we could ask people for help finding it (strangely enough, some might actually find a van full of children and their parents searching for a tree a bit odd. They might not understand what we are talking about when we say, “you know, the Earlysville oak? It’s one of the Remarkable Trees of Virginia!) Thankfully, it did not take long before we spotted the giant white oak sitting on a hill, airplanes flying overhead. I didn’t have to hang out the passenger window to question an innocent bystander a single time. That’s not always the case.
As is typical when we visit a large white oak (Quercus alba,) comparisons were immediately made to the Cumberland Oak. I think the Cumberland will always be the kids’ favorite, but this tree was equally grand in my humble opinion.
The efforts made to protect the Earlysville oak during the nearby construction were clearly successful. We saw no major signs of decline. According to the authors of Remarkable Trees of Virginia, even washing out a concrete truck near a tree’s root zone can raise soil pH and harm the tree, and storing building materials near the tree can compact the soil, which can also lead to damage. Keeping a tree safe and healthy during construction requires more effort than one would think.
As we drove around searching for this oak, Seth lamented several times that they must have ended up cutting it down. Sadly, that was the case for the first remarkable tree we ever went searching for. We are all thankful that the efforts were made to save this magnificent tree.
I really wanted to get a group shot with me and all of my kids. They weren’t so inclined. Keats wouldn’t come down out of the tree, and once I finally coaxed Gabe to come over, he stood right in front of Seth, who wasn’t looking anyway, and made that face. He is moving into an eye rolling phase and thinks I am ridiculous. Anyway, his expression is so funny in this photo, that I thought it worth including despite my weird expression.
You might think that Larkspur is carrying a little bouquet of wildflowers on her way back to the van, but upon closer inspection, you would realize that those are actually dead animal bones. “A gift for Trudy,” she said.
I am wondering if our tree adventures will pick up again as the weather cools down this fall. I hope so!
Ben B. says
Beautiful and healthy tree. Seen it twice. Not trying to be negative here. However It got climbed on when the CHO said not to. Hopefully the CHO have been adding nutrients to its roots because I noticed it’s got grass around to the trunk. Most people nowadays don’t realize that raking leaves yearly impacts its survival. If you drive by rolling hills of farms or house yards and see declining tree health then you will see grasses are around it. If you seen green mountains of trees you now there’s no grass there. Violet Bank Cucumber Magnolia has nothing but mulch under its reaching branches and is under watch from climbers. Visit there in Colonial Height’s Va. especially for Civil War buffs.
Charles Payne says
I stumbled across your blog using a Google search. Looking for the tree, I went to Google Maps and discovered that the church on the hill was gone and the area has been fenced in.
Vincent Verweij says
This is fantastic. Definitely makes me want to find this tree. Do you have a coordinate, or would you rather keep it a Secret?
Jenna S. says
The address of the house that used to be right by the tree was 3085 Earlysville Road, being that it was the house I grew up in. We always enjoyed the tree and the shade that it put on the yard. I hope you can find it, a white church sits 100 yards past it on a hill, it is just before the traffic circle by the cow pasture across from the airport. Good Luck!!